UPM claims to be the leading supplier of labelstock to the Australian wine label printing sector, and is the overall number two supplier of labels in this country, behind Avery Dennison.
Nicholas Rodgers, the person responsible for the ISO certifications at UPM Raflatac Oceania says, “For Australian label printers the new ISO 14001 for UPM Raflatac labelstock means they can go to their customers with externally validated environmental credentials.”
The big environmental issue for labelstock is the silicon liner, with UPM working towards reducing its environmental impact. For Australian wine label printers environmental concerns are particularly important with wines exported, especially to the key Californian and US markets.
Rodgers, who is also responsible for ISO implementation across the Asia Pacific for UPM Raflatac, says the process took around nine months as the Melbourne facility, which was originally owned by CPI, was brought up to scratch.
He says, “The certification represents a significant step toward achieving one of the company’s major goals for its facilities worldwide: developing Environmental Management Systems (EMS) which operate in accordance with an internationally recognised standard. This means that the Victoria site joins the ranks of other UPM Raflatac facilities in the United States, South Africa, Europe and China in setting the label industry’s standard for excellence in environmental performance.” In fact the Melbourne operation is the tenth out of 11 sites to achieve ISO 14001.
The ISO 14001 certification covers the manufacture and slitting of self-adhesive paper and film labelstock. The factory will be reassessed annually to ensure that it is achieving its targets and continually improving its environmental performance. ISO 14001 certification requires that an organisation identifies and controls the environmental aspects and impacts of its activities, products or services, continually improves its environmental performance, and implements a systematic approach to setting and measuring the achievement of its environmental objectives and targets. The certificate is awarded by the British Standards Institution (BSI).
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